System and method for producing and/or using semi-transparent corrugated structures which automatically change their transparency to the Sun&#39;s rays during the hours of the day, and the resulting structures

ABSTRACT

Corrugated transparent or semi-transparent structures, typically from Polycarbonate or Acrylic, are typically used for creating for example various transparent or semi-transparent walls or roofs for example in large buildings or for creating greenhouses for plants. However, especially for example during the summer, this can cause overheating of the greenhouse effect, so that too much heat is caught inside, which can have undesirable effects. The present invention shows a very cheap solution for automatically regulating the penetration of the Sun&#39;s rays through such structures during the day, so that for example at noon the Sun&#39;s penetration is automatically lowered. This is preferably achieved by using a sandwich in which two external transparent plates are connected by non-transparent or at least less transparent inner walls (also called bridges) and using appropriate orientations so that when the sun rises or sets the Sun&#39;s rays can easily enter more directly and when the sun rises at noon the non-transparent or less transparent inner bridges block direct light from the Sun.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the plastics industry, and morespecifically to a system and method for producing corrugatedsemi-transparent structures which automatically change theirtransparency to the Sun's rays during the hours of the day, and theresulting structures.

BACKGROUND

Corrugated transparent or semi-transparent structures, typically fromPolycarbonate or Acrylic, are typically used for creating for examplevarious transparent or semi-transparent walls or roofs for example inlarge buildings or for creating greenhouses (hothouses) for plants.Polycarbonate has better impact resistance than Acrylic but is also moreexpensive and less transparent. For example in Russia and other Europeancountries such structures are used for greenhouses since they have theadvantage of being stronger than nylon tents, so that for example in thewinter they can resist better wind, snow or hail. In fact thesestructures are typically even stronger than glass, and also they havebetter heat retaining abilities than glass. Typically these structuresinclude materials that provide UV protection and they can last 10 oreven 20 years in the Sun. Also, these structures have an advantage overglass in that they are more flexible and thus can be more easily fittedfor example for round structures such as for example domes, and alsothey are easier to ship for this reason since such corrugated plates anbe for example rolled up for shipment. However, especially for exampleduring the summer, this can cause overheating of the greenhouse effect,so that too much heat is caught inside, which can have undesirableeffects. Of course it is possible to use for example chemical materialsthat change their transparency according to the amount of light as isused for example in some optical glasses, or for example to changemechanically the amount of exposure to the Sun's rays for example byusing various light sensors and/or heat sensors and/or by using temporalcontrol (for example by programming certain hours in advance), howeverthese solutions are more expensive. The typical solution used in suchgreenhouses is covering them during the summer with a thin layer of Sunblocking material, such as for example white lime, which reduces theexposure to the Sun during the summer and is washed away by rain in thewinter, but this is a messy and less aesthetic solution and createsextra work. On the other hand, there is for example a solution offeredby Danpal—http://www.danpal.com/brochure/Controlite.pdf, which is basedon a twin-walled Polycarbonate panel in which each elongated cellcontains an inner revolving louver with an opaque upper flat surface, sothat the louvers in each panel can be controlled for example manually orby a light sensor. However this is considerably more expensive since itinvolves inserting the louvers in each cell and a mechanism for rotatingall the louvers of the panel at the same time. Also, it reduces theefficiency of sunlight utilization, since according to their ownbrochure even in the fully open state only 58% of the sunlight canpenetrate.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a much cheaper solution forautomatically regulating the amount of exposure to the Sun, that can bepreferably mass-produced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention shows a very cheap solution for automaticallyregulating the penetration of the Sun's rays through such structuresduring the day, so that for example at noon the Sun's penetration isautomatically lowered. This is preferably achieved by using a sandwichin which two external transparent plates are connected by preferablynon-transparent (or at least less transparent) inner bridges andpreferably using appropriate orientations so that when the Sun rises orsets the Sun's rays can easily enter more directly and when the sunrises at noon the non-transparent or less transparent inner bridgesblock direct light from the Sun. This way automatically less heat isgenerated at mid-day inside the building or greenhouse or otherstructure that uses these corrugated structures in the roof and/or inthe walls. This can have the further advantage that for example lessenergy might be needed for cooling the enclosure. To the best of ourknowledge this has not been done before, so in the prior art thesecorrugated structures are either made from transparent or fromnon-transparent materials (for example for creating plastics storagecases, etc.).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a-c show a few examples of various typical types of Greenhousesbuilt of a corrugated transparent plastic material (prior art).

FIGS. 2 a-f show a few examples of a side view of preferable corrugatedstructures based on preferably two transparent or semi-transparentplates separated by non-transparent or less transparent internalwalls/bridges.

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION AND GLOSSARY

Throughout the patent when possible variations or solutions arementioned, it is also possible to use combinations of these variationsor of elements in them, and when combinations are used, it is alsopossible to use at least some elements in them separately or in othercombinations. These variations are preferably in different embodiments.In other words: certain features of the invention, which are describedin the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided incombination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of theinvention, which are described in the context of a single embodiment,may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Allthese drawings are just exemplary diagrams. They should not beinterpreted as literal positioning, shapes, angles, or sizes of thevarious elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

All of the descriptions in this and other sections are intended to beillustrative examples and not limiting.

Referring to FIGS. 1 a-c we show a few examples of various typical typesof Greenhouses built of a corrugated transparent plastic material (priorart). The example shown in FIG. 1 a is an example of a personal home-usegreenhouse available from http://www.sunshinegreenhouse.com/. As can beseen the structure is more or less similarly transparent in alldirections. Although they claim that the angles of the roof at 45degrees themselves help by reflection to let more light in from thelower winter Sun and less light in from the higher summer sun, thedifferences that can be achieved by the present invention are muchbigger. Also their solution does not use variable light penetrationthrough the vertical walls. The greenhouses shown in FIGS. 1 b-c aretypical industrial-scale greenhouses, available for example fromhttp://www.palram.com/. As can be seen they are typically much largerand usually elongated—they can be for example with a length of dozens oreven hundreds of meters and typically contain also metal frameworksupport.

Referring to FIGS. 2 a-f, we show a few examples of a side view ofpreferable corrugated structures based on preferably two (or more)transparent or semi-transparent plates (1 a & 1 b) separated bynon-transparent or less transparent internal walls/bridges (2).Preferably this structure is produced by extrusion by using for theinternal bridges (2) that separate between the plates (1 a & 1 b)production slits that are fed by a separate non-transparent or lesstransparent material than the material fed for the external plates (1 a& 1 b ) . Of course this is just an example and the internal bridges canhave also other shapes and/or angles and/or sizes, but internal bridges(2) at 90 degrees to the plates (1 a & 1 b), as shown in FIG. 2 a, canbe very convenient for using as vertical walls (4) in the structureshown in FIG. 2 b. By using such a structure as the vertical walls (4)of a greenhouse for example, so that the two (or more) plates (1 a & 1b) are vertical and the internal bridges (2) become horizontal, when theSun is low (when rising or setting) (3 a) the light from the Sun canenter directly, and when the Sun is higher in the sky at noon (3 b) theinternal bridges (2) block the direct light from the Sun. If the roof(5) is built from a similar for example horizontal structure thenpreferably the internal bridges within it are instead tilted. Preferablythe direction and angles of this tilt of the internal bridges and/or thedirection of the entire preferably elongated greenhouse take intoaccount also the orientation relative to where the Sun is rising orsetting in order to achieve the desired effects. Also, in the winter forexample the Sun's orientation in the sky is lower than in the summer, sothis is preferably also taken into consideration in the orientationsand/or angles used, so that preferably also automatically more sunlightenters the structure in the winter than in the summer. Of course this isjust an example and the inner bridges (2) between the vertical plates (1a & 1 b) can be also for example in some diagonal orientation—dependingon the most desired angles of Sun penetration, and not necessarily inthe horizontal orientation that is shown, so that for example there area few typical available angles which the buyer can choose from. Anotherpossible variation, shown in FIG. 2 c, is that the roof (5) is made forexample from a corrugated structure with internal bridges that are alsotransparent and for example the bottom plate (5 b) is transparent andthe top plate (5 a) is for example non-transparent or semi-transparent.Another possible variation, shown in FIG. 2 d, is that the roof isconstructed from two tilted corrugated structures (6 & 7) which alsoeach have internal tilted bridges in them, so that their internalbridges become preferably horizontal (or at another convenient angle) inthe final structure, thus working similarly to the internal bridges ofthe vertical walls (4) of the for example greenhouse. This or similardesigns also have the advantage that snows for example can slide downeasily without causing burden on the roof. On the other hand, acorrugated structure with tilted bridges might be weaker than astructure with bridges at 90 degrees to the external walls, so anotherpossible variation is to enforce them for example with transparentbridges (6 b) that cross them at least in some places. Of course theseare just a few examples and many various other variations are alsopossible, and also the use for a greenhouse is also just an example. Forexample various combinations of different angles of the internal bridges(2) and different transparency levels of the internal bridges (2) and/orof the external plates can be used. Also, although typically suchcorrugated structures are made of Polycarbonate or Acrylic, othermaterials with the desired qualities or combinations of differentmaterials can also be used. As can be seen in FIG. 2 e, if the angle ofthe Sun is higher than R, no direct light penetrates directly. When thecorrugated structure is used as a vertical wall, the height (H) betweenthe internal bridges (2) and the distance between the two plates (D)create the radius that makes the Sun stop penetrating directly. Anotherpossible variation is for example to keep the inner bridges (2) betweenthe two (or more) plates (1 a & 1 b) transparent or semitransparent, butpreferably cover them with a light-reflective material and use them in aconvenient angle, so that they reflect back more or less Sun dependingon the angle from which the Sun light hits them. The above solutionshave the advantage that the desired angles can be chosen independentlyof the orientation of the external plates (1 a & 1 b). Of course anotherpossible variation is that the greenhouse or other enclosure can havefor example only the roof or only one or more of the walls made of thedescribed corrugated structures. Of course the plates (1 a & 1 b) arenot necessarily straight and may be instead for example wavy or withsome other curves, but straight plates are usually more convenient.Another possible variation is to add one or more, preferably more orless horizontal, hinges (8), as shown for example in FIG. 2 f,preferably with an additional frame-structure for support, so that atleast some of the walls a section or sections of them and/or for examplea section or sections of the roof can be rotated (i.e. an entirepreferably double-walled panel or a section of it can be rotated),preferably independently, in order to change the angles in which the sunpenetrates directly. This rotation can be controlled for examplemanually and/or for example by light and/or heat sensors, preferablytogether with one or more microprocessors that control the movement.This has the advantage of increasing the flexibility and control on theamount of exposure to heat and/or light, while still keeping the systemcheap. However, if such hinges are used for example in the roof, thenpreferably each plane that can rotate is moving between 2 transparentside-walls that touch or almost touch its edges and/or there areadditional transparent walls that complete the enclosure, so as not toallow heat to escape from the sides or through gaps caused by therotation. Another possible variation is that if for example double-wallsare used (in other words, for example two or more such corrugatedstructures are used next to each other, for example for betterinsulation or for example for better strength, for example in the wallsand/or in the ceiling), then the bridges in the two corrugatedstructures can be for example at some preferably different diagonalangle and/or with an intermittent pattern of more or less transparent,so that simply moving one of the two corrugated structures a shortdistance compared to the other can increase or decrease the light level(However this is less efficient, since part of the light might beblocked in all positions). Of course various combinations of the aboveand other variations can also be used.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited numberof embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations,modifications, expansions and other applications of the invention may bemade which are included within the scope of the present invention, aswould be obvious to those skilled in the art.

1. A system of corrugated structures which automatically change theirtransparency to the Sun's rays during the hours of the day, comprising:a. At least two transparent or semi-transparent plates. b.Non-transparent or less transparent inner bridges that connect betweensaid plates.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein appropriate orientationsare used so that at least one of the following features exist: a. Whenthe Sun rises or sets the Sun's rays can easily enter more directly andwhen the sun rises at noon the non-transparent or less transparent innerbridges block direct light from the Sun. b. In the winter, since the Sunis lower in the sky, the Sun's rays can enter more directly, and in theSummer, since the Sun is higher in the sky, the rays are more blockedfrom entering directly.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein said corrugatedstructures are used as at least one of at least one wall and the roof ofat least one of a building, a greenhouse, and other types of enclosures.4. The system of claim 3 wherein said corrugated structures are used asat least one vertical wall so that the plates are vertical and theinternal bridges are horizontal or at some other convenient angle. 5.The system of claim 3 wherein said corrugated structures are used in theroof and at least on of the following features exist: a. Said innerbridges between the plates are tilted so that the direction and anglesof this tilt of the internal bridges and/or the direction of the entiregreenhouse or building or enclosure take into account also theorientation relative to where the Sun is rising or setting in order toachieve the desired effects. b. The roof is made from a corrugatedstructure with internal bridges that are also transparent and the bottomplate is transparent and the top plate non-transparent orsemi-transparent. c. The roof is constructed from two tilted corrugatedstructures which also each have internal tilted bridges in them, so thatin the final structure said internal bridges become horizontal or atanother convenient angle.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the innerbridges between the plates are transparent or semitransparent, but theyreflect back more or less Sun depending on the angle from which the Sunlight hits them
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the corrugatedstructures are made of at least one of Polycarbonate and Acrylic.
 8. Amethod for using corrugated structures which automatically change theirtransparency to the Sun's rays during the hours of the day, comprisingthe steps of: a. Using at least two transparent or semi-transparentplates. b. Using non-transparent or less transparent inner bridges thatconnect between said plates.
 9. The method of claim 8 whereinappropriate orientations are used so that at least one of the followingfeatures exist: a. When the Sun rises or sets the Sun's rays can easilyenter more directly and when the sun rises at noon the non-transparentor less transparent inner bridges block direct light from the Sun. b. Inthe winter, since the Sun is lower in the sky, the Sun's rays can entermore directly, and in the Summer, since the Sun is higher in the sky,the rays are more blocked from entering directly.
 10. The method ofclaim 8 wherein said corrugated structures are used as at least one ofat least one wall and the roof of at least one of a building, agreenhouse, and other types of enclosures.
 11. The method of claim 10wherein said corrugated structures are used as at least one verticalwall so that the plates are vertical and the internal bridges arehorizontal or at some other convenient angle.
 12. The method of claim 10wherein said corrugated structures are used in the roof and at least onof the following features exist: a. Said inner bridges between theplates are tilted so that the direction and angles of this tilt of theinternal bridges and/or the direction of the entire greenhouse orbuilding or enclosure take into account also the orientation relative towhere the Sun is rising or setting in order to achieve the desiredeffects. b. The roof is made from a corrugated structure with internalbridges that are also transparent and the bottom plate is transparentand the top plate non-transparent or semi-transparent. c. The roof isconstructed from two tilted corrugated structures which also each haveinternal tilted bridges in them, so that in the final structure saidinternal bridges become horizontal or at another convenient angle. 13.The method of claim 8 wherein the inner bridges between the plates aretransparent or semitransparent, but they reflect back more or less Sundepending on the angle from which the Sun light hits them.
 14. Themethod of claim 8 wherein the corrugated structures are made of at leastone of Polycarbonate and Acrylic
 15. The method of claim 8 wherein saidcorrugated structures are produced by extrusion by using for theinternal bridges that separate between the plates production slits thatare fed by a separate non-transparent or less transparent material thanthe material fed for the external plates.
 16. The system of claim 1wherein there are also one or more substantially horizontal hinges, sothat at least some of the walls or at least one section of them and/orat least one section of the roof can be rotated, in order to change theangles in which the sun penetrates directly.
 17. The system of claim 16wherein at least one of the following features exists: a. This rotationcan be controlled manually and/or by light and/or heat sensors. b. Eachplane that can rotate is moving between 2 transparent side-walls thattouch or almost touch its edges and/or there are additional transparentwalls that complete the enclosure, so as not to allow heat to escapefrom the sides or through gaps caused by the rotation.
 18. The system ofclaim 1 wherein two or more such corrugated structures are used next toeach other, and the bridges in the two corrugated structures are atdifferent diagonal angle and/or with an intermittent pattern of more orless transparent, so that simply moving one of the two corrugatedstructures a short distance compared to the other can increase ordecrease the light level.
 19. The method of claim 8 wherein there arealso one or more substantially horizontal hinges, so that at least someof the walls or at least one section of them and/or at least one sectionof the roof can be rotated, in order to change the angles in which thesun penetrates directly.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein at least oneof the following features exists: a. This rotation can be controlledmanually and/or by light and/or heat sensors. b. Each plane that canrotate is moving between 2 transparent side-walls that touch or almosttouch its edges and/or there are additional transparent walls thatcomplete the enclosure, so as not to allow heat to escape from the sidesor through gaps caused by the rotation.